Russian Election

Zip Dobyns

Even without complete data, I find it hard to resist a look
at the possible charts of individuals who are playing prominent roles in the
world. Gennadi Zyuganov and Boris Yeltsin have just gone head to head for the
presidency of Russia. A few months ago, Yeltsin was written off by most
commentators as totally finished in Russia. He bounced back in an amazing way,
with the help of most of the media, rock concerts for young voters,
church-going for older ones, and promises to everyone. If he actually
succeeded in doing everything he promised, inflation would skyrocket. But
Yeltsin was sufficiently energetic to belie reports of his heart problems and
sufficiently persuasive to achieve a few more votes than Zyuganov, his Communist
rival. They each got close to a third of the votes and there will be a two-man
contest to decide the presidency, probably on July 3.

We have published Yeltsin's tentative horoscope more than
once in the past, but for new readers or those who do not save old issues, we
will repeat my current version here progressed to July 3. Yeltsin was born on
February 1, 1931 around 4 to 4:30 P.M. according to his mother, but I have
never been sure of the time zone. The small village where he was born is also
somewhat uncertain. We have printed more than one speculative chart for
Yeltsin in past issues of The Mutable Dilemma, listing his town as Budka
Rosa or Talitza, whose longitude and latitude only differ by two minutes. I
have also experimented with an Ascendant ranging from 2 to 9 Leo. The angles
remain questionable, but we can probably rely on the planet and asteroid
aspects.

Gennadi Zyuganov was born on June 26, 1944 in a tiny town near Oryol (alternately spelled Orel) in Russia. The data comes from someone on
the Internet in Russia who thinks he was born in the afternoon. The alternate
spelling comes from a U.S. friend on the Internet, Doc Cottle, who has been
very helpful in tracking down data for me. My next request from Doc will
probably be to track down data for General Lebed who came in third, has thrown
his support to Yeltsin and has been promoted to a top position in the
government.

Though Yeltsin's data is still questionable, it seems to be
working well. He has had very tough progressed aspects for some years, with P
Sun crossing Uranus and the north lunar node, opposite Ceres and the south node,
square Jupiter and, more recently, square Saturn and Mercury. P Vesta has been
square Uranus and the P nodes. That is a dilly of a cardinal cross for major
power struggles connected to his career and homeland. IF his birth time and
time zone are accurate, P Mars has been crossing his Ascendant for some years,
moving slowly after having changed from retrograde motion. The Leo rising fits
his heart problems, his large size, his dramatic showmanship and charisma, his
nerve, and his power drive. If Mars on the Ascendant is repressed, it can lead
to critical health problems. When expressed, as Yeltsin has been doing in
recent weeks, it can be dynamic and successful in getting what the individual
wants. Assuming Yeltsin's birth time is approximately accurate, his P Moon is
on Venus, another key to success, and the data I am using also puts P Moon
trine P Antivertex for another hint of success. However, in August P Moon
starts an octile to Yeltsin's Sun which will last for nearly two months.
Probably, his promises will come back to haunt him.

Among the interesting asteroids with aspects are P Mercury
on Russia and P Williams (for Bill Clinton). The U.S. did everything they
could to get him reelected. P America in 4 Cancer is trine Juno in the 9th
house (foreign countries among other meanings) to repeat the theme of help from
our country. It also sextiles Neptune and P Victoria, which needs no
explanation. P Sun is sextile Potomac, a river in our nation's capital, which
I take as a key to the city. IF this birth time is accurate, P Ascendant was
conjunct P Washingtonia for about two years to repeat the important role we
have been playing. P Aletheia (goddess of truth) is opposite P Mars and the
tentative Ascendant as Yeltsin has been promising everybody their heart's
desire. P Karma and P Wisdom are trine both the MC and Ascendant I am using.

Obviously, Yeltsin's troubles are not over. His P Sun will
start a square to P Pluto in about a year and a half while it is still in the
square to Saturn and Mercury and the opposition to the south lunar node. P
Moon will set off that cardinal cross when it crosses Saturn soon after the Sun
square to Pluto begins. That signals a major crisis in early 1998 which could
involve the country and/or Yeltsin's personal health. It could be his curtain
call, but he has fooled the forecasters before.

Gennadi is a lifetime communist who is described as a smooth
operator, telling different audiences what they want to hear. He is mostly
supported by older and rural people and factory workers who have been hurt the
most by the changes in the country. But he also appeals to nationalists with
his anti-American views that Russia is in a death struggle with the U.S. Yet, Gorbachev says Gennadi is less dangerous that many of his hard-line associates
who could push him aside if he won and tried to be moderate.

I am using a speculative birth time of 2:10 P.M. for Gennadi with a UT of three hours earlier, and running the chart for Orel where he
attended college and which is presumably near his birth town. Since the houses
are quite uncertain, we will focus mostly on the aspects and signs. The
initial impression is of a much warmer person that his public appearances
suggest, with his six factors in Cancer and four in Leo. Of course, Saturn and
Vesta are not “warm” so they do tone down the Cancer, and the Virgo Moon can
also be more concerned with the job goals than with the effects they will have
on people. The south lunar node in Capricorn and Saturn in Cancer point to
lessons involving dependence versus power and responsibility. Communism in
practice, though not in theory, limits the power and responsibility to a few
people and promotes dependency for the rest. I do think the Libra rising might
be right for Gennadi, since it is so often associated with politicians and he
has been described as a peace-maker from the time he was a child. But he also
has a strong drive for power with Saturn on his Sun and Mars conjunct Jupiter
in Leo along with Pluto in the sign. If they are in the tenth house, that
reinforces the message.

Gennadi's current patterns include P Sun on Jupiter for
potential success and IF his birth time is close, P Moon on Pluto fits the
power contest. P Juno on Uranus could indicate an upset of some kind, but this
might be Yeltsin's surprising comeback or his own (currently unexpected)
success. P Mars sextile Vesta is also good for success, and P Mercury may be
moving in to share the aspect while P Venus could be moving to conjunct the
Moon, but I have not had the personal data or the time to attempt a real
rectification of the chart.

There are some interesting asteroids, including natal Russia and Xanthus (an alternate name for Apollo, a sun god for fame and power) in 20 Leo conjunct
Mars. Fanatica on Dionysus and the north lunar node are not very encouraging
since they seem to confirm his reported absolutism, suggesting that despite his
statement that he would not try to turn the clock back, he is really an
extremist. Repeating that danger is P Vesta octile Saturn. Aspects between
those two and/or either with Pluto can be a key to ruthlessness. Also, Atlantis,
which is often a key to the abuse of power, is in 26 Libra square the P lunar
nodes and P Victoria and P Orpheus. The latter two seem like a contradiction
with their juxtaposition of success and a miserable death by being torn apart.
We might make symbolic sense of them by noting that Gennadi is having
difficulty in holding his coalition together and that might be the key to the
outcome of the election. P Atlantis squares P Pluto and (maybe) P Moon. P
Belisana, a war goddess, is on P Sun and Jupiter, and P Phaethon (overreach) is
on Mercury. P Moskva (Moscow) squares P Mercury from 20 Gemini, and it opposes
Eleutheria (freedom) and squares P Bellona (another war goddess). Gennadi has
been almost shut out of the major media since the latter are strongly for
freedom, against a return to communist control of speech and press. As this is
written in late June, the commentators think Yeltsin will win, and our
tentative charts support that conclusion, but we have not heard the last of
Gennadi.

For readers who are interested in mundane astrology, the
English Astrological Association has published a chart for the new Commonwealth
of Soviet States which includes Russia and Belarus (former Byelorussia) and which hopes in time to form closer bonds with several more of the former U.S.S.R.
republics. A document was signed in Moscow on April 2, 1996 at 11:18 A.M. UT is two hours earlier. The chart shouts the goal of increased power in the
world with a stellium in the tenth house including Saturn in Pisces and Mars,
Sun, south lunar node, and Mercury in Aries. A strong fifth house with Pallas
and Vesta in Scorpio and Pluto and Ceres in Sagittarius also adds to the power
drive, while the Moon in Virgo exactly on the IC speaks of the troubled workers
in the country. Neptune opposite the Ascendant can signal the hope of better
things from a cooperative partnership, but it might also prove to be a pipe
dream. When I calculate a current event which will not be progressed at the
time, I often put the heliocentric planetary positions around the outer circle
of the chart. In this case, H Neptune is exactly on the Descendant, adding to
its importance. A trine from Venus to Neptune supports the hope that
cooperation could help the situation, and the message is repeated by Pallas
trine Juno and Vesta trine the Ascendant; all in water signs which are helped
by interdependency. But Pallas is also square Uranus and Jupiter squares the
nodes, the Sun, and Mercury, so the immediate prospects remain challenging.

The asteroids also are not encouraging. Russia just under 12 Taurus is quincunx Chiron, an indication of changes involving hopes and goals
but pointing to potential separations in the alliance. Moskva in 9 Pisces
squares the Antivertex which is like an Ascendant. Lacrimosa (tears and
sorrow) and Epimetheus (the brother who looked to the past) are conjunct
opposite the Ascendant. Zeus, the Greek name for Jupiter, is on Jupiter
joining in the cardinal cross. Byelorussia is in 0 Scorpio flanked by Kaiser
(named for the former German ruler) and Pyotr Pervyj (Peter the Great, a former
ruler of Russia). Their placement on the fifth house cusp, the house of the
king, is a dramatic statement of the likelihood that Belarus is outclassed in
the power game by its big neighbors. Minsk, the asteroid named for the capital
of Belarus, is in 23 Aquarius, quincunx the Moon and moving into a quincunx to
the Ascendant—a yod for major changes and possible separations. Though these
patterns could mean changes by enlarging the commonwealth, they look more like
a break-up. Time will tell.

I have not done the work to test the possible charts for the
new Russia to see whether one of them is reliable, so we will continue to watch
the developments. With their huge natural resources and their highly educated
people, Russia should be a great power, but they have to shake off the current
control by the Mafia/KGB who are richer, stronger, and better armed than the
police. Despite what Gennadi thinks, many of us in the western democracies are
deeply sympathetic toward Russia, and hoping for their recovery.